Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 65 | 13 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 83% | 77 | 80 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 1 reviews sampled · 1 total reviews in window · weighted 1 up / 0 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (26)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 50
“Riverbond coaxes you in with its charming feel and aesthetically pleasing voxel graphics, only to thrust you into a monotonous hack 'n' slash. With the plethora of other games that have interesting art styles and incredible looks, it is hard to let the gameplay here slide, even with its comedic relief and destructible environments as a backer.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“What Riverbond lacks in depth, it makes up for with wonderful simplicity. Potentially too basic as a single-player game, but it's a silly, upbeat and nostalgic adventure best played with friends.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Riverbond isn’t the most in-depth game on the Switch this year, nor is it the best looking. It does, however, boast an interesting art style, and its gameplay is simple yet engaging enough that almost anyone of any skill level can give it a good crack.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“For whatever reason I have a bit of a soft spot for voxel-based graphics so when I saw a dungeon-crawler boasting those aesthetics when Riverbond was announced I was easily on board...”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Although there's no doubt that playing co-op as a group of four will be more fun than hacking and slashing alone, the minute-to-minute gameplay doesn't feel satisfying enough to make this a game worth choosing over others in the genre. The objectives are really plain and the challenge and obstacles almost toothless. It might be a good first dungeon-crawler for a younger audience or a family that wants to play together, but this Riverbond ain't wide enough for me to recommend it to you.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“In short, it does not come to revolutionize anything, but Riverbond is a proposal to take into account for all those who like a quick game from time to time to kill a few enemies and deal with a handful of bosses”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Riverbond breaks no new ground but is an enjoyable romp through a highly detailed and eye-catching voxel world that accommodates younger players better than most in this genre. The bosses, as menacing as they look, aren’t quite up to scratch and in co-op, you can easily lose yourself in the action, but if you’ve got a brood of kids to entertain and a few Dualshock 4 controllers handy, you can easily get 7-10 hours of fun out of this game before the repetition sets in. Perfect for a rainy day.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Riverbond is a pleasant experience to enjoy on a co-op level and its simple mechanics and accessible difficulty level make it a perfect family game. It's not for those seeking a hardcore challenge or a long-lasting solo experience but for anyone who enjoys a simple and good-looking game with company Riverbond does a good job at that.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Riverbond is ultimately an extremely simple game meant to appeal to a younger or less experienced gamers. While the art style is cute and gameplay is fun, even if it is extremely simple, there really isn't much to see. After a level or two you realize nothing really matters and it becomes a quest to earn as many points for the sake of it or finish everything for an easy platinum. That said, if you could get it for a bit less, I could see it being a solid choice for anyone looking for something simple and easy to play with kids or introduce their significant other to gaming.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“A Diablo like game oriented to a younger audience that may not be too varied, but it's fun for a while, specially when played with friends on local coop only.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“And that’s my biggest problem with this game: how tedious it is. You go through level after level and stage after stage, doing the same things over and over again. It doesn’t even feel rewarding towards the end, just a relief that the level is over. I really hate saying that, because this game had a lot of promise and is very pretty looking, especially for someone like me who loves that art style. I just wish there were a little more depth to the game, because as it is right now it’s very boring to sit through a lot of the time. I didn’t even mention the story that much because it’s very simple and takes a backseat to a lot of the game. For a simple pick-up-and-play game, I suppose it’s fine and serves the purpose of an arcade game well enough. But I don’t think it’s all that worth it, especially at the $24.99 price range where it sits right now. All in all I got about five hours out of the game, but I really wouldn’t recommend it unless you really love this kind of thing, or you need something simple and fun to play with friends.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Riverbond is a smile factory thanks to its cutesy voxel graphics and simplified dungeon-crawling but its repetitive design limits the fun.”
read full review ↗
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Screen Rant…and 14 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Crystalwatch Update Live + SaleDec 10, 2019significant · resets scoring window